When telephone answering devices (TAD's) were first introduced, the controls for operating them closely resembled those of the conventional audio tape recorders of that day. For example, the user was required to press a mechanical lever to place the device in the ANSWER mode, sometimes simultaneously with the depression of the PLAY lever. In order to listen to the recorded incoming messages left by callers, the user had to first terminate recording by pressing the STOP lever and then activate the REWIND lever in order to return the tape to the beginning. If the telephone answering device was equipped with an AUTO STOP feature the user would then press the play lever to put the unit into the PLAY BACK mode so that the incoming messages could be heard, otherwise the STOP lever would have to be pressed first.
Obviously, this control mechanism proved to be cumbersome and it was replaced by the electronic push button type switches or "soft-touch controls", that somewhat enhanced the ease of operation. However, the basic record-rewind-play-stop-erase-record button pushing sequence remained unchanged.
It was not until the advent of "One-Touch Control" telephone answering devices, first pioneered by PhoneMate, that any significant user enhancement occurred. The controls were designed primarily from a telephone answering device stand point, rather than a tape recorder. With these devices, the user could rewind, listen to the recorded message, rewind again, and reset the unit for recording subsequent calls--all by activating a single button.
The prior art discloses the use of voice recognition circuits for the control of various kitchen utensils and other electronic devices. In the patent to Ueda, U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,617, a voice recognition circuit is disclosed being used for the operation of a microwave oven. In the patent to VanderMolen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,576, voice recognition and voice synthesis circuits are disclosed being used for home appliances, such as a clothes dryer. Numerous other voice recognition circuits are well known.
Also, the prior art discloses the use of proximity sensors for activation of an electronic device upon someone entering a room, such as for turning on the lights, or activating a burglar alarm. Such devices include numerous features designed to be activated only in the presence of people, and not animals, or falling objects, so as to avoid false activation of the devices. These proximity sensors operate on a number of different and well known principles, including optical and sonic. Such devices are well known.
Finally, the prior art discloses numerous well known methods of generating human sounding speech, known as speech synthesis for the generation of audible information. For example, such devices are used in the generation of the time information when called by a user to the telephone company.